Starbucks Rewards Double Star Days now require activation & save 20% on WestJet flights to/from Alberta and B.C.

Here's your Rewards Canada update! Your near daily dose of loyalty program, credit card and travel news, bonuses, deals and more.

If you are a Starbucks Rewards member they have made a slight change to their Double Stars Day. Previously members would earn double stars for simply making purchases on a Double Stars Day however now they require members to activate the offer beforehand. This is basically the same process we see with so many loyalty promotions in that you have to register for them beforehand. Loyalty programs put these registrations in place as it saves them from awarding extra points (and thus extra costs) to any members who don't activate or register don't earn the bonus.

Join Starbucks Rewards and earn 150 bonus Stars + 400 points for linking to Aeroplan & El Al to discontinue Toronto-Tel Aviv flights this fall

Here's your Rewards Canada Daily update! Your near daily dose of loyalty program, credit card and travel news, bonuses, deals and more.
Today's update is brought to you by the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card which you can earn up to 40,000 bonus Scene+ Rewards points (that’s up to $400 towards travel) and pay no annual fee in your first year with Click here to learn more about this offer

For a limited time you can earn 150 bonus Starbucks Rewards Stars when you join the program and then link your Aeroplan account! So if you are not yet a member of Starbucks Rewards yet now is the time to join as those 150 Stars can get you one fancy drink worht $5-$6 or three pastry items worth $9-$10! On top of this Aeroplan awards you with 400 Aeroplan points after your first purchase within 30 days of linking. Click here to learn more about this offer.

You can now convert Aeroplan Points to Starbucks Rewards Stars - but should you?

Air Canada Aeroplan and Starbucks Rewards took their partnership one step further today with the option to now convert Aeroplan Points to Starbucks Stars. Aeroplan points can be redeemed at a rate of 1,000 points for 200 Starbucks Rewards Stars, up to a maximum of 10,000 Aeroplan points in one transaction. I know many of you will be asking is this good deal? So let's take a look to see if it is worth it to convert your points.

Starbucks and TD expand relationship to reward virtually all TD credit and debit cardholders

In late 2020 when the new Aeroplan program was revealed there was one piece of the news that didn't garner too much of the attention. This wasn't surprising given the sheer breadth of everything that came out from Air Canada and its partners in regards to the new Aeroplan program. That piece of the news was a limited time bonus that only the TD Aeroplan co-brand credit cards had with Starbucks. All of those cards would receive 50% bonus Aeroplan points on Starbucks purchases for a whole year and then that promotion kept being extended until February 14, 2022. And now we know why that was the end date - that's due to this becoming a permanent benefit not only on the Aeroplan cards but virtually all TD debit and credit cards as of today!

January 18 Update: More confirmed Cobalt Card 5x points locations, Tims Rewards offering 2x points this week & Starbucks Rewards postpones Star expiration

Here's your Rewards Canada Daily update! Your daily dose (or near daily dose) of loyalty program, credit card and travel news, bonuses, deals and more. This update is brought to you by the HSBC World Elite Mastercard which is currently offering a welcome bonus of up to 100,000 bonus points worth $500, has no foreign transaction fees and no annual fee in the first year! 

We're happy to let you know that we've added even more merchants to our American Express Cobalt™ Card Confirmed Multiplier Locations feature. Thanks to Rewards Canada reader C with a T for letting us know of the following locations that all earn 5x points on the Cobalt Card which weren't on our list before:

January 12 Update: United MileagePlus Status Match Challenge returns, 2,000 bonus points at the Delta Sault Ste. Marie & 60 bonus Aeroplan points at Starbucks

Here's your Rewards Canada Daily update! Your daily dose (or near daily dose) of loyalty program, credit card and travel news, bonuses, deals and more. This update is brought to you by the HSBC World Elite Mastercard which is currently offering a welcome bonus of up to 100,000 bonus points worth $500, has no foreign transaction fees and no annual fee in the first year! 

The United MileagePlus Status Match Challenge has returned for 2022. The airline will match status of many airlines (I'm not sure if Air Canada is included since they are partners) for 120 days and then if you meet the challenge requirements you can retain that status for the entire year. Read more about this on our global site.

Earn bonus Aeroplan points for spending $20 or more at Starbucks airport locations + free gifts at Toronto Pearson this weekend

 
A quick post here to let you know about a new promotion from Aeroplan and Starbucks. Members who have linked accounts can earn 70 bonus Aeroplan points for each spend of $20 at Starbucks Airport locations in Canada. This offer is available until November 14, 2021.

Starbucks Rewards Star Days: Earn bonus Stars and Aeroplan points this week

 

Starbucks Canada Star Days are here for the next five days with offers for bonus Stars, bonus Aeroplan points and discounted drinks. Since we're all about the points will just focus on what bonuses you can earn during this week.

August 31 Update: 25 bonus Aeroplan Points with $25 Starbucks card load, Cobalt's 3x points for streaming services posting & Alaska Airlines opens new lounge at SFO

Here's your Rewards Canada Daily update! Your daily dose (or near daily dose) of loyalty program, credit card and travel news, bonuses, deals and more.

Check your email in box for a targeted offer from Aeroplan and Starbucks. This promotion offers 25 Bonus Aeroplan Points when you load at least $25 in one transaction to your Starbucks card by September 12. Thanks to Josef H. for the heads up on this offer! Ideally you'll want to load $50 to earn 75 additional Aeroplan points or $75 to earn 150 points - these are the standard earn offers. Then remember that you can earn 50 bonus Aeroplan points each time you spend $15 or more at Starbucks until October 3. Click here to learn more about that last offer.

Limited time offer: Get 50 Aeroplan points every time you spend $15+ at Starbucks

 

Earlier this year launched Aeroplan launched their partnership with Starbucks Canada where you can link your Aeroplan account to your Starbucks Rewards account. Once your account is linked you can double dip and earn rewards from both programs. There are base earn rates with Aeroplan when you load your Starbucks card (75 points for $50-$74.99, 150 points for $75+) and then they have run bonuses on top of that which brings us to this new bonus offer. 

March 23 Update: Aeroplan points posting from the new Starbucks partnership, earn & redeem Be Well points with Well.ca & Mogo products now on Rewards Canada

Here's your Rewards Canada Daily update! Your daily dose (or near daily dose) of loyalty program, credit card and travel news, bonuses, deals and more.

Aeroplan points are starting to post now from the Starbucks partnership that was announced earlier this month. To recap you earn 75 Aeroplan points when you load $50 to $74.99 on your Starbucks card or 150 points for $75+. On top of that there are limited time bonuses to celebrate this partnership of 25 bonus points when you make 4 or more transactions and 50 bonus points when you make two 150 Starbucks Stars redemptions. You can see from the screenshot of my account that I have already earned both of the limited time bonuses plus some of the standard points for reloading my account on the Starbucks app. Learn more about the Aeroplan Starbucks partnership here!

Awesome new partnership! Air Canada Aeroplan & Starbucks Rewards join forces - earn Aeroplan Points and Starbucks Stars at the same time

Air Canada Aeroplan's first non-travel partnership since the launch of the new program in November is here!. Starting today you will be able to Aeroplan points on any Starbucks purchases you make utilizing the Starbucks app. And the good news? This is in addition to your regular Starbucks Rewards earning so you'll automatically be double dipping - well let's be honest in all likelihood it will be at least a triple dip as you should be funding your Starbucks app with a points earning credit card!

My favourite Starbucks Rewards redemption

 
We don't cover Starbucks Rewards very often here on Rewards Canada, in fact the last time I wrote about them was when the program was going through changes early in 2019 (read that post here) that were for the most part worse than better. However I've been meaning to write about the program, well more so about my favourite redemption for sometime now and am I finally getting around to it.

May 27 Update: Last few days to grab the TD First Class Visa Infinite Card with 65,000 points, Aeroplan eStore Mega Event this weekend and a targeted Starbucks Rewards offer

Thinking of applying for the TD First Class Visa Infinite Card? There are only a few days left to apply for it with its welcome bonus of up to 65,000 TD Rewards Points. The limited time offer on the card ends on May 31, 2020

You know that saying "you snooze you lose" well that happened to me as there was an Amex Offers offer that came out this morning that I received for the Platinum Card and Rewards Canada contributor Jeff W. let us know he received on his Marriott Bonvoy American Express card. That offer was a $20 statement credit when you spend $100 at Mastermind toys. A great offer especially for those ordering toy, puzzles and games to help pass the time at home. Back to "you snooze you lose" is that I saw the offer in my email this morning but didn't read the whole email that stated it was limited to first 3,000 cardmembers who register - not the typical five figure numbers we see for other offers. Well by not registering this morning when I first saw it I missed out as the offer is gone now. So kudos to those of you who did get in on it - you'll get to enjoy that $20 credit! Find our complete list of Amex offers here.

There is a targeted offer to celebrate the reopening of Starbucks stores in some provinces across Canada they are offering 25 bonus Starbucks Rewards Stars for every mobile order made until June 7. Check your email to see if you have been targeted!

Aeroplan is planning a big two day eStore Mega Event this weekend. No details have been provided yet but Aeroplan is definitely trying to build the hype for it! As soon as we know what the Mega Event will entail will pass it along!

And finally, have you been thinking of grabbing TD or CIBC cash back credit cards? If so, wait until next week to do so.....

Airline Schedule Updates
This will now be a standard feature for the foreseeable future in our daily update posts as we summarize Canadian operations based on data from RoutesOnline and other sources. Remember that many of these route plans are subject to change and right now they are changing frequently!

WestJet has decided not to start the following summer seasonal routes in 2020 rather they plan on bringing them back in 2021. (Source WestJet)

Route	Planned Frequency	Status
Calgary-Whitehorse	4x weekly	Suspended
Calgary-Windsor	7x weekly	Suspended
Halifax-Gander	7x weekly	Suspended

WestJet has also decided to delay the launch of their WestJet Link service between Calgary and Dawson Creek to September 2020. (Source RoutesOnline)

Remember to visit and bookmark our COVID-19 resource page where we are keeping you up to date with all the latest airline, hotel, lounges and loyalty program news, policies, closures and more.

Posts since our last update:

• Fairmont Chateau Laurier Ottawa and Faimont Royal York Toronto now part of Stay Close Buy 1 night get 1 free offer!
  Fairmont Hotels keeps adding more hotels to their amazing Stay Close offer that provides every 2nd night or 2nd…
• TD will donate miles to Second Harvest when you use your TD Aeroplan Card for restaurant purchases until May 31
  Air Canada's Aeroplan keeps doling out the Travel at Home offers and initiatives for this month. The latest sees…
• May 26 Update: Air Canada provides aircraft physical distancing configurations, earn 5x miles with select Air Miles Shops retailers, Air Canada Takeout to Takeoff contest
  Air Canada announced sometime ago that they are and will be flying their planes will physical distancing in mind…

Deals:

Fairmont's Canadian mountain resort hotels offering every 2nd night or 2nd room free for the rest of 2020!

Fairmont Chateau Laurier Ottawa and Faimont Royal York Toronto now part of Stay Close Buy 1 night get 1 free offer!

Travelzoo and Whistler's Summit Lodge Boutique Hotel are selling discounted vouchers for future stays that are 100% fully refundable. You can buy vouchers that provide up to a 40% savings and includes breakfast & parking. Stay in a Deluxe King Studio, with a king bed, balcony, fully equipped kitchenette and dining table for two $139 (one night, check in June 1 - July 2; Aug. 30 - Sept. 30) Stay in a spacious Executive Studio, with a king bed, balcony, fully equipped kitchenette and dining table for four $149 (one night, check in July 3-31) $299 two nights, (check in Aug. 1-28) Find out more here. 

Travelzoo and Brewster's Mountain Lodge in Banff are selling discounted vouchers for future stays that are 100% fully refundable. You can buy vouchers for starting at $179-$199 each for June, $199-$239 for July and $269-$319 for August & September. Based on these numbers looks like they are anticipating a decent return to travel in late Summer. We did a quick check for a mid-week stay in June and Brewster's wanted $339 for the same room and the cheapest 3rd party rate we could find was $209. Sot the $179 voucher definitely provides some savings. Find out more here. 

WealthSimple Trade:  Receive $5 when you deposit and trade at least $100 worth of stock with WealthSimple Trade. Find out more here (We will also receive $5 when you receive $5)

Rewards Canada receives a small commission when you use any of the above offers. You don't have to chose to use our links but we thank you in advance if you do.

Canadian Bonus Offers

World of Hyatt
- 500 Bonus World of Hyatt points per night at the Hyatt Place Toronto/Mississauga Centre More... Until Aug 30, 20

Other Bonus Offers

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Double Asia Miles for stays at all participating World Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Mar 31, 21
- Triple Asia Club Miles for stays at all participating World Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Mar 31, 21

Emirates Skywards
- Triple Skywards Miles, room upgrades and up to 20% for stays at Tivoil Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. More... Until Feb 28, 21

Royal Air Maroc Safar Flyer
- Earn 4,000 Bonus Safar Flyer Miles for joining the Safar Flyer program and completing four flights. More... Ongoing offer

World of Hyatt
- 500 Bonus World of Hyatt points per night for stays at the Hyatt Place Taiyuan Longcheng. More... Until Aug 30, 20
- 500 Bonus World of Hyatt points per night for stays at the Hyatt House Frankfurt Eschborn More... Until Aug 30, 20
- 500 Bonus World of Hyatt points per night for stays at the Hyatt Regency Yokohama or the Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono. More... Until Aug 30, 20
- 500 Bonus World of Hyatt points per night for stays at the Hyatt Place Bakersfield More... Until Aug 30, 20
- 500 Bonus World of Hyatt points per night for stays at the Hyatt Centric Las Olas Fort Lauderdale. More... Until Aug 30, 20
- 500 Bonus World of Hyatt points per night at the Ambassador Chicago More... Until Aug 30, 20
- 500 Bonus World of Hyatt points per night for stays at the Hyatt Place Indianapolis / Carmel More... Until Aug 30, 20
- 500 Bonus World of Hyatt points per night at the Hyatt Regency Portland at the Oregon Convention Center or the Hyatt Centric Downtown Portland. More... Until Aug 30, 20
- 500 Bonus World of Hyatt points per night for stays at the Hyatt House Nashville / Downtown - SoBro More... Until Aug 30, 20
- 500 Bonus World of Hyatt points per night for stays at the Hyatt Place Houston / Downtown More... Until Aug 30, 20


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November 7 Update: Show your Starbucks Holiday Cup to get priority boarding on Alaska Airlines, win tickets to the CFL West Final with Canalta Rewards and 12 new miles & points bonuses

Flying Alaska Airlines out of Calgary, Edmonton, Kelowna, Vancouver or Victoria over the next four days? Show a Starbucks Holiday Cup to get priority boarding! The Seatlle based airline teamed up withe Seattle based coffee chain for this promotion for the launch of holiday cup season! Find out more here!

What does this mean exactly?
Starbucks holiday cup-holders––anyone who purchases a Starbucks drink served in a holiday cup––will get to be in the “espresso” lane, following group B. Just be sure to listen closely to your gate agent’s announcements.

With all that holiday spirit in the air, you know we couldn’t stop there! Some lucky guests on select flights might find surprise Starbucks treats on their seats, too.

Remember as well if you have the MBNA Alaska Airlines World Elite Mastercard you'll save money while flying Alaska as the card provides you with your first checked bag free!

Another Canalta Rewards CFL contest! This time you can win four tickets to the West Final at Mosaic Stadium in Regina on November 17 to see the Saskatchewan Roughriders take on the Calgary Stampeders or I guess it could be the Bluebombers..... You can enter the contest here

Check your personalized offers from Sobeys for the following deal. Get 20 AIR MILES for every $50 spent on Happy Card Gift Cards. Find out more at https://getmyoffers.ca/ Until Nov 13, 19 (This has also been added to our Holiday Shopping Feature)

Have you checked Rewards Canada's Top Offers page? This page lists our hand picked offers for the best miles and points bonuses and discount award offers. Visit the page here (and bookmark it!)

Posts since our last update:

• A look at what you have to actually spend to get some of the best credit card welcome bonus offers
  Yesterday we released our monthly Top Credit Card Sign Up Offers post which strictly looks at the value of…
• Thrifty Blue Chip Rewards – Receive a free rental day with every one day rental
  Thrifty Car Rental is matching some of the offers we are seeing from other car rental companies with this…
• Great offer from Wyndham Rewards - Stay twice in Canada and earn 15,000 bonus points (that's up to two free nights!)
  Wyndham Rewards hasn't had many bonus points offers out of late and still don't for most of the world…
• November 6 Update: 7x Aeroplan Miles for Apple store purchases now live, new RBC offers for Fairmont Hotels & the Keg, 50% off TAP Air Portugal award tickets
  Just a friendly reminder that as of today you can earn 7x Aeroplan Miles for Apple store purchases. This…

Travel Deals

Cathay Pacific is offering some big savings on flights between Vancouver and India, the Philippines or Vietnam along with 3 pieces of checked luggage at no charge. Book by November 9 for travel until November 30. Find out more here.

Remember to visit Rewards Canada's Travel Booking site to book travel directly with many of your favourite airlines, hotels and more!

Canadian Bonus Offers

AIR MILES
- 100 Bonus AIR MILES Reward Miles when you spend $25 on car washes at Shell. More... Offer valid at participating Shell locations in ON, MB, SK, AB and BC only Until Dec 15, 19

Wyndham Rewards
- Earn 15,000 Bonus Wyndham Rewards  points when you stay twice at participating hotels in Canada. More... Register & book by Feb 17 for stays until Feb 18, 20

Other Bonus Offers

AeroMexico Club Premier
- Double Club Premier Points for stays at any IHG Hotels in Mexico. More... Until Dec 31, 19

American AAdvantage
- 1,000 Bonus AAdvantage Miles when you make your first booking on PointsHound.com. More... Until Dec 31, 19

British Airways Executive Club
- 1,000 Bonus Avios when you make your first booking with airbnb. More... Book by Dec 15, 19
- Earn up to 18,000 Bonus Avios when you subscribe to The Economist. More... Until Jan 31, 20

JAL Mileage Bank
- Double Mileage Bank Miles when you fly on JAL between Tokyo (Narita) and Bengaluru. More... Mar 29 - Jun 30, 20

Shangri-La Golden Circle
- Up to a 30% GC Points discount when you redeem for room award stays in a Standard Room, a Club Room and Executive Suite at any Shangri-La hotel, Kerry hotel, Hotel Jen and Traders hotel worldwide. More... Book by Dec 31 for stays until Mar 31, 20

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Double KrisFlyer Miles for travel from Taipei to any Singapore Airlines or SilkAir destinations  More... For residents of Taiwan only Book by Nov 30 for travel until Mar 31, 20

Thrifty Blue Chip Rewards
- 625 Bonus Blue Chip Points when you complete a qualifying rental at participating Thrifty locations in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. More... Maximum of 5 bonuses can be earned by each member. Until Dec 31,19

Turkish Miles&Smiles
- 30% Bonus Miles&Smiles Miles when you fly on Turkish Airlines between Istanbul and Amman, Cape Town, Dushanbe, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Krasnodar, Luxor, Medina, Riyadh, Samara, Seoul, Shanghai, Shiraz or Tokyo. More... Dec 1 - 31, 19
- 30% Miles&Smiles Discount when you redeem for award travel on Turkish Airlines between Istanbul and various cities in Europe and Asia. More... Dec 1 - 31, 19



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April 15 Update: A reminder that the mostly negative changes to Starbucks Rewards and Cineplex SCENE take place this week

Just a friendly reminder that today is the last day for flat rate rewards at Starbucks! Starting tomorrow the new redemption schedule kicks in with Starbucks Rewards. The best redemption options in the current program (fancier drinks and food) will cost you more Stars as of tomorrow. Granted there are now some lower priced options where rewards will start at 25 Stars and go up versus the current 125 Stars for any item. I used up all my rewards over the past week (about 9 in total) for the drinks and food we like. Came at the right time as we were on the road a lot for our kid's activities! You can read all about the changes in our post Starbucks Rewards - Changes confirmed to be coming April 16 and they're both good and bad (mostly bad) 

While we're on the topic of changes, here is also a reminder that following Starbucks' changes on Tuesday, the changes to the Cineplex SCENE program kick in on Wednesday April 17. Once again the changes are pretty much for the worse. You can read all about it here: Cineplex's SCENE program changing earn and burn rates on April 17 - significantly devalues current balances and the SCENE Visa Card

Posts since our last update:

• Using the Scotiabank Gold American Express card to redeem for any travel - whale watches included!
  Today we welcome the second post from Rewards Canada contributor Jeff W.! Jeff has been a long time reader of…
• Earn 1,000 Bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points per night for stays at the Fairfield Inn & Suites Calgary Downtown
  Another Marriott bonus points offer for stays in Calgary has been released! Right now you can earn bonus points…

Travel Deals

Remember to visit Rewards Canada's Travel Booking site to book travel directly with many of your favourite airlines, hotels and more!

Canadian Bonus Offers

N/A

Other Bonus Offers

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Earn up to Triple Asia Miles for stays at Harbour Plaza Hotels & Resorts in Hong Kong. More... Until Dec 31, 19

Emirates Skywards
- Triple Skywards Miles for stays at participating Tivoli Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Feb 29, 20

Le Club AccorHotels
- Quadruple Le Club AccorHotels Points for stays at participating new Accor Hotels Worldwide. More... Book by May 6 for stays until Jun 23, 19
- 1,000 Bonus Le Club AccorHotels Points when you join the program and complete your first stay. More... Book by Apr 30 for stays until Jun 30, 19

Marriott Bonvoy
- 2,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points PER NIGHT for stays at the Hong Kong Ocean Park Marriott Hotel. More... Until May 31, 19
- 3,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points per stay including any night Friday-Sunday at the AC Hotel Manchester Salford Quays More... Until May 31, 19

Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Earn up to 20,000 QMiles when you fly Qatar Airways between Doha and Davao. More... Jun 18 - Sep 15, 19



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Starbucks Rewards - Changes confirmed to be coming April 16 and they're both good and bad (mostly bad)

News of changes to the Starbucks Rewards program have been circulating for almost a month south of the border but there wasn't much news for those of us in Canada. That's probably because the Canadian Starbucks Rewards is pretty much just an extension of the U.S. one. Today Starbucks Canada sent out email confirming the changes coming that in Starbucks own press release states they are enhancing the program. If you follow the loyalty industry with even the slightest interest you should be wary of when a program uses the term 'enhances' or 'enhancements' in their headlines. More often than not that means the program is getting worse.

Personally I would say that this holds true once again with Starbucks Rewards 'enhancements' to the program.

For those of you who have been familiar with the program, and I'm sure it's a lot of you, you collect Stars (2 for every $1 spent) at Starbucks and then you can redeem 125 Stars for any drink or food item on their menu. This easy system was really good for maximizing value out of the Stars collected. Think about it you could redeem 125 Stars for a $3 or a $7 or $8 food item. I always did and still do the latter, to pull the most value out of the program I never redeemed for anything below $5 and most redemptions have been for those food items in the $7 range.

Well that's all going to change on April 16 and I think that myself and countless others could be to blame for this change since we were redeeming for the priciest options possible! Starbucks is going away from the 125 Stars for any drink or food item to a tiered reward system which is what they are touting as there enhancement. Sure it enhances the amount of things you can redeem for and has made 'basic' drinks cheaper to redeem for but everything else - the fancier drinks and bigger food products are increasing in price. I don't have stats but just from being in line at Starbucks there aren't a whole lot of people buying basic drinks like straight coffee or tea. Most are buying espressos, refreshers, lattes and the sorts and those are all going up in price for Stars.

Here is a breakdown of all the new reward options and pricing:

As you can see the most popular drink and smaller food items will now cost 150 Stars. That's 25 more than what we are paying right now. Sandwiches, Salads, and protein boxes see a huge increase to 250 Stars! That's a doubling of the amount of Stars required now yet these items don't tend to cost twice as much when paying cash. And in the U.S. this food option is only jumping to 200 Stars not 250 - while the other new levels are equal between Canada and the U.S. The good news is that basic coffee, tea and bakery items have dropped significantly from 125 Stars to only 50 Stars. That's a pretty decent deal but again these don't appear to be the most sought after items. The drink customization redemption option is good I guess simply because it gives another option to use your Stars on. It's also nice to see the select merchandise and at -home coffee being added. These will run 400 Stars and could be where the most value could be brought out of the new program if you are able to redeem for some of those $25 or so coffee or drink cups.  Time will tell if that will be option!

Update: Just read further into the terms and conditions and the 400 Star redemption option is limited to a C$20 maximum before tax.

As you can see it is both good and bad news coming for the Starbucks Rewards program. For me it is mostly bad as the items I was redeeming 125 Points for will now cost 150 to 250 points. I'm sitting on 12 rewards in my Starbucks Rewards account at the time of writing this that were waiting to be redeemed for food items during this busy kid's activity season. I will definitely be upping the redemptions for anything over $5 during the next three weeks to get the most value of the Stars that have been earned. Even with the changes  I will still collect Stars and maybe go on my own advice of "The True Value in Reward Redemptions" and not worry about maximizing the value out of this program and be happy I get free item every once in awhile. And I'll still be collecting 5 Membership Rewards points per dollar loaded onto my Starbucks App thanks to the American Express Cobalt Card.

Click here to learn more about the upcoming changes to the Starbucks Rewards program

What do you make of the changes? What type of Starbucks collector and redeemer are you? Are the changes better or worse for you? Let us know in the comments below!